Born
in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1929, Allen E. Broussard came to the Bay Area
with his family as a teenager. He began his years of community service at
age 16 while attending San Francisco City College.

As President of the City College chapter of the NAACP, Justice Broussard
became active in the fight for equal employment opportunities for African
Americans. Picketing, striking and litigation were necessary to break down
the barriers of racial injustice in San Francisco.

Justice Broussard was instrumental in getting the first African-Americans
hired as a high-school teacher and police officer in San Francisco, and
was instrumental in securing union jobs for those individuals previously
denied access to union positions.

These experiences inspired Justice Broussard to seek a career in the law,
and in 1950 he enrolled at Boalt Hall as one of three African-Americans
in a class of 106. Justice Broussard graduated in the top 15% of his law
school class and was a Law Review editor.

After graduation, Justice Broussard became a research attorney for Raymond
Peters, presiding judge of the First Appellate District and was the first
African-American to hold that position in the district. Justice Broussard
credited Judge Peters with giving him an opportunity and for helping to
shape his judicial philosophy of always considering the broader impact legal
decisions have on individuals and society.

In 1959, after serving two years in the army, Justice Broussard joined the
law firm of Wilson, Metoyer & Sweeney as an associate. In 1961, when
Lionel Wilson was appointed to the Alameda County bench, Justice Broussard
became a partner at the newly-constituted Metoyer, Sweeney & Broussard.

Through his work with the East Bay Democratic Club and Oakland Men of Tomorrow,
Justice Broussard was part of the effort to build a strong political base
in the East Bay. These organizations were vehicles through which African-Americans
identified and selected their own candidates; and by 1958, members of these
East Bay organizations chaired the campaigns of all of the Democratic candidates
on the ticket in the Eighth Congressional District, winning all but one
of the top statewide jobs.

In 1964, at the age of 34, Justice Broussard began his 27-year judicial
career when Governor Pat Brown appointed him to the Oakland-Piedmont Municipal
Court where he served as presiding judge from 1968 to 1975. Governor Pat
Brown appointed Justice Broussard to the Alameda County Superior Court.
Six years later, Governor Jerry Brown elevated Justice Broussard to the
California Supreme Court.

Justice Broussard started his 10-year tenure on the Supreme Court with Rose
Bird as chief justice; and served as acting chief justice when Justice Bird
left the Court in 1987. While on the Supreme Court, Justice Broussard wrote
more majority opinions than any other member of the Court, including some
of the Court's most sweeping opinions, such as the 1983 opinion which required
proof of intent to kill in most death penalty cases, giving the Court the
legal basis for overturning scores of death penalty verdicts.

As an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, Justice Broussard
continued his long-standing tradition of public service. He served as the
first African-American president of the California Judges Association and
was an active member in the Judicial Sections of the Charles Houston Bar
Association and the California Association of Black Lawyers.

Appointed by Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas to co-chair the California Judicial
Council Committee on Race and Ethnic Bias in the Courts, Justice Broussard
was in the forefront of studying attitudes about race and ethnic discrimination
and the existence of racism in the courts. Recognizing that fairness in
the courts is essential to a functioning democracy, Justice Broussard worked
with the committee to identify and eliminate bias in the judicial system.
Justice Broussard was also a dedicated member of the ABA Task Force on Minority
Opportunities in the Profession.

Retiring from the Court in 1991 to return to private practice, Justice Broussard
became a partner at Coblentz, Cahen, McCable & Breyer, where he had
an active practice in alternative dispute resolution, appellate review,
and participated in the Complex Case Panel of the American Arbitration Association.

In 1991, Justice Broussard was appointed by Mayor Elihu Harris to the Port
of Oakland, Board of Commissioners and subsequently was elected its president.
Justice Broussard also twice served on Senator Dianne Feinstein's Judicial
Selection Committee.

Justice Broussard was a magnet for bright students, especially those from
Boalt Hall. He met with students regularly and judged moot court competitions
all over the country, including the Black Law Students' annual Frederick
Douglass Moot Court competition. Additionally, he was a mentor to countless
law students and newly-graduated lawyers who served as his judicial clerks.

Justice Broussard worked diligently to expand opportunities within the legal
profession and to assist young lawyers in their pursuit of a career in the
law. One of his most earnest goals was the diversification of the profession,
and much of his work was aimed at making sure all minorities are given the
opportunity to rise and "take a place at the table," as he was
fond of saying.

It is the Broussard Scholarship Foundation's goal to continue Justice Broussard's
work in promoting diversity in the legal profession by assisting under represented
law students to take their place at the table.